Lucile Ellerbe Godbold (May 31, 1900 – April 5, 1981) was an American

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete. She competed in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

and several running and throwing events at the 1922 Women's World Games, also known as the First International Games for Women, and won a gold medal in the

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

and a bronze in the

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's de ...

; she finished fourth in the 300 m and 1000 m races. In 1922, Godbold graduated in physical education from the Winthrop College and in September of that year she began a 58-year teaching career at Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina. During her time at the college, 'Miss Ludy' as she was affectionately known, became a local legend; in time, an annual touch football game was begun by the students in her honor and was named the 'Ludy Bowl.' Although the exact date is uncertain, it is believed the first Ludy Bowl took place on the campus of the college somewhere between 1952 and 1955 and is still played today during the college's

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States and Canada. United St ...

Weekend The weekdays and weekend are the complementary parts of the week, devoted to labour and rest, respectively. The legal weekdays (British English), or workweek (American English), is the part of the seven-day week devoted to working. In most o ...

. In 1961, Godbold became the first woman to be inducted into the

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

Sports Hall of Fame. In 1971 Columbia College's new physical education center was named in her honor.

References

1981 deaths Columbia College (South Carolina) faculty 1900 births American female shot putters American female javelin throwers Women's World Games medalists 20th-century American sportswomen 20th-century American women academics 20th-century American academics {{US-shotputt-athletics-bio-stub